Vault construction



A. EVNSEN' VAULT CONSTRUCTION Dec. 31, 1,929.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aprilv 16. 1928 m4a1, 19211. AE'v'ENSEN 1,141,511 VAULT CONSTRUCTION.

Filed April 16. 1928 2 Sheets-sheet 2 i Patented Dec. s1, 1929 UNITED STATES ANTON EVENSEN, OF FOX LAKE, ILLINOIS VA'ULT CONSTRUCTION Application filed April 18,

This invention relates to improvements ,in vault door constructions, and more particularly to an attachment for automatically locking a vault door in partially closed position.

It is a common occurrence in daylight robberies of banks for burglars to lock a bank employee in the vault, whereby his life' may be endangered on account of lack of air.

lo Devices have heretofore been provided for preventing vault door closing mechanism from being actuated, so that the employee cannot be locked in the vault, but sucli devices do not prevent the burglar from inJuring his victim. l

The object of the present invention is to provide an attachment for vault doors which, when the vault door has been moved almost to its closed position and the usual pressure bai's have been operated, will automatically lock the door in said position.

Another object is to provide a device for automatically maintaining a vault door in such position with respect to the door frame that the burglar will be denied access to the vault and therefore be unable to injure the person locked therein, and whereby the dooi will be sutliciently spaced from the door frame to admit air to the interior of the vault. y

Another object is to produce a -device which will be inconspicuous when attached to the door in its intended position.

Another object is to prevent the 'reopeno ing of the partially closed door by an unauthorized person.

Another object is to provide key-operated means for releasing the locking mechanism when it is desired to reopen the door.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevation ofI part of a vault door and surrounding frame, showing a locking attachment embodying my invention in position on the door.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view through part of the door, taken in the plane of the line 2 2 of Figure 1, looking in the direction indicated bythe arrows, showing the locking attachment in side elevation.

.shown in the drawings, the vault door is in- 1'928. semi No. 270,354.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken in the plane of the line 3.-?) on Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view', broken away, the same being taken in the line 4-4 or' Figure 3, looking in the'direction indicated by the arrows, and showing the position of parts when the pressure bar has been actuated and locked in position.

Figure 5 is a vView similar to Figure 4, .showing the position of the parts before the pressure bar has been lactuated to locked position.

Figure 6 is another View similar to Figure 4, but showing the position of the parts after a key has been inserted in the attachment to unlock the parts; this figure showing a modified form of spring in the llocking attachment.

In that embodiment of my invention dicated at 10, the door frame at 11 and door jamb at 12. The door is carried by the usual pivoted support 13 connected to the frame, and is provided with a conventional pressure system, comprising a hand wheel 14 and a shaft 15 operatively connectyedito the horizontal pressure bar 16. The

pressure bar 16 is provided with a cam 17 upon which is eccentrically mounted a pin 18. The bar 16 is journaled in a bracket 19 which is rigidly secured to the face of the vault door, and when the bar 16 is in proper alignment its eccentric pin 18 is adapted to enter' the opening 20 in the bracket 21 which is rigidly secured to the door amb 12.

The engagement of the eccentric pin 18 with the bracket 21 when the pressure bar is rotated, presses the door tightly against its seat in the jamb. The parts thus far described constitute a conventional vault door construction.

The attachment which constitues the novel feature of this invention will now be described. It comprises a casing 22, connected by bolts '23 to one side of the bracket 19 inwardly of the pressure bar 16. The arrangement of the fastening means shown in the drawings is desirable because the attachment is not readily removable from the door. The forwardly facing Wall 24 of the 100 casing is provided with a curved recess 25, extending from side to side, the surface ot the recess being complemental to the curved surface of the pressure bar 16. The casing` 22 is connected to the bracket 19 in .such position that the pressure bar 16 will engage the surface of the recess 25 and be rotatable therein.

The casing 22 is bored out on an inclined plane, as indicated at 26, the bore being closed' at one end and extending forwardly and downwardly with its open end communicating with the curved recess 25. In the bore26-is located a plunger 27,.spr ingpressed by a coiled spring 28 located between the endet the plunger and the wall at the end ot the bore, as shown in Figuresll andl, or by a flat spring 29,', as shown in Figure 6. The plunger 27 is provided with a pin 30 which extends through a slot 31.111 the sidewall of thebore 26, into a recess 32 in that side of the attachment casing which is toward the bracket'19. The recess 32 may be of the shape shown in Figures 4 and 5, or may be extended downwardly as indicated at 33 in Figure 6 to accommodate the flat spring 29 for its engage ment with the plunger pin 3G.

A conventional lock is indicated at 3&1-, 1t hasV a key operated lever 35, locatedv in the recess 32, and is normally in the position shown in Figures 2, l and 5.

The pressure bar 16 is recessed as indicated at 36, the recess being complemental to the outer end of the plunger 27. The location of the recess 36 in the pressure bar 16 is such that if it is attempted to close the door and the bar is rotated to move the eccentric pin 13 into alignment with the opening 2O 1n the bracket 21, the recess 36 will reach a position opposite the end of the plunger 27 when the door is almost completely closed, and the pin 13 has entered the opening 2O in bracket 21, but has not become entirely seated therein, as shown in Figure 3. At that moment the end of the plunger 27, under ten` sion orl the spring 23 or spring 29, will snap into locking position in the recess 36, holding the pressure bar against Jfurther rotation and preventing the door from being coinpletely closed as well as from being reopened.

The operation of the device is 9follows:

Assume that the vault door is in its open position is customary during banking hours. The lock 311 oit' the attachment described is so arranged that in order to withdraw the key from the keyhole 37, the lock lever will be in the upward position, out of engagement with the plunger pin 30. The pressure bar 16 will have been rotated, by meansot the handwheel lil, so that .the recess 36 is not in alignment with the end or the plunger 27; the parts beingv in the-position shown in Figure 5'.

1n the event an unauthorized"person new attempts to lock a bank employee in the vault, he will swing the door 10 towards its closed position and in order to seat the door against the jamb 12, he will operate the handwheel 14, thereby rotating the pressure bar 16 to bring the ecentric pin 18 into the opening 20 ot the bracket 21. The rotation of the bar 16 will move the recess 36 therein to a pointy opposite the endof'the plunger 27 which, under the in` iuence of the spring 28 or the spring 29, will snap into` the position shown in Figur-e 4. l/Vhen the parts are in this position, the door will be held as shown in Figure 3; that is, slightly spaced from the door jamb 12 so as to admit air to the-interior of the vault and yet suiliciently closed to prevent the intruder from injuring the person locked in the vault.

In this position the pressure bar cannot be rotated and the door cannot be fully closed, nor can it be reopened by an unauthorized person. To reopen the door, it is necessary to insert a key in the keyhole 37 of the lock 34 and by turning the key actuate the lock lever 35 to move it downwardly from the position shown in Figure 4 to'that shown in Figure 6. 1n the course otthis movement, the lever 35 will engage the pin 3()v on the plunger 27, Ymoving the pin and consequently the plunger a distance equal tothe length of the slot 31 through which the pin extends. The end of the plunger 27 will thus bewithdrawn from the recess 36 of the pressure bar which may then be rotated to move the recess 36 out of engaging position, the door may be opened, and when the lock key is withdrawn from the keyohole 37 the parts will again be in the position shown in Figure 5.

From the foregoing, it will be understood that normally the lock lever 35 will be upwardly directed, the spring-pressed plunger will be held in retracted position because its end rests against the unrecessed portion of the pressure bar 16 as shown in Figure 5, but being spring-pressed, as soon as the pressure bar is rotated for the purpose of locking the door and is in alignment with the plunger end, the plunger will snapl into the recess 36 and thereby lock the door in partially closed position. 1t is contemplated that the key which is required for unlocking the door will be retained by a person normally outside of the bank, or at least removed from the vault room.

in important feature of my invention' is the arrangemento'f parts whereby the locking engagement takes place when the doorhas been almost completely closed, and theinability of an unauthorized person to reopen it.

1 claim as my invention:

1. A vault: construction including adoor, a door frame,- amovable bar carried-by;v the door,` means forv operating the bar, means von the frame for. engaging said bary and means for, lockingv said door in immovable,incompletely closed position, consisting of a casing secured to the door adjacent said bar, a spring-pressed plunger in the casing adapted to enter a recess in the bar, and a key-operated lock in the casing having a lock lever adapted When key-actuated to engage the plunger to Withdrau7 it from the bar recess.

2. A vault construction including a door, a door frame, a movable bar carried by the door, means for operating the bar, means on the iframe for engaging said bar and means for locking said door in immovable incom-V plet-ely closed position, consisting of a casing provided With a curved recess in one Wall, the Wall of the recess being in engagement With the bar, a spring-pressed plunger, the casing being bored interiorly to receive said plunger', one end of the plunger being adapted to enter a recess in said movable bar, means for limiting the movement of the plunger, and a key-operated lock having a lock lever for engaging the plunger.

3. A vault constructi-on including adoor, a door trame, a movable bar carried by the door, means for operating the bar, means on the frame for engaging said bar and means for locking said door in immovable, incompletely closed position, consisting of a casing having a recess, the recess Wall being complemental to the bar, the casing being provided with a bore closed at one end and communicating at its other end with said recess, a plunger in the bore, a spring between the end of the plunger and the end Wall of the bore, a pin on the plunger extending through a slot in the side Wall of the bore, a key-operated lock having a lock lever normally out of engagement With the plunger and adapted when key-operated to engage the plunger' pin to retract the plunger.

4l. A vault construction comprising a door, a door frame, a bracket rigidly secured to the door iframe, a pressure bar, a bracket rigidly secured to the door and having the pressure bar j ournaled therein, the'end of the p essure bar being adapted for engagen'ient vvith said frame bracket, a locking attachment casing secured to the journal bracket between the pressure bar and the door, a plunger in the casing adapted to automatically enter a recess in the pressure bar when the end of the bar has become almost completely seated in the door bracket, and means for retracting the plunger.

5. A vault construction comprising a door, a door frame, a bracket rigidly secured to the door frame, a pressure bar, a bracket rigidly secured to the door and having the pressure bar journaled therein, the end of the pres-v sure bar being adapted for engagement With said frame bracket, a locking attachment for maintaining the door in immovable, incompletely closed position including a casing secured to the journal bracket, the casing having a recessed Wall complemental to and in engagement With the pressure bar, a spring pressed plunger in the casing extending into said recess, a pin on the plunger, and a lock having a lock-lever adapted when key-operated to engage the plunger pin.

6. An attachment for vault doors, comprising a casing adapted to be secured to the door adjacent the conventional pressure bar on the door, the casing being bored on an inclined plane, a spring-pressed plunger located in the bore and capable of protruding at one end from said casing, a slotted Wall in the casing, a pin on the plunger extending through said slotted Wall, and a lock having a lever adapted When key-operated to engage the plunger pin to retract the plunger.

v7. An attachment for vault doors, comprising a casing adapted to be secured to the door adjacent the conventional pressure bar on the door, said casing having a curved recess in one Wall complemental to said pressure bar and being bored on an inclined plane, a spring pressed plunger located in the bore capable ofy protruding at one end from said casing, a slotted Wall in the casing, a pin on the plunger extending through said slotted Wall, and a lock having a lever adapted When key-oper ated to engage the plunger pin to retract the plunger.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my invention I aliix my signature, this 13th day of April, 1928.

ANTON EVENSEN. 

